


Oh, that time in Malta...

by onlyblueskiesfor_you



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Established Relationship, Kinda, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Power of Words, Romantic Fluff, joe gives a nice speech, just two immortal men in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:35:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25453252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyblueskiesfor_you/pseuds/onlyblueskiesfor_you
Summary: 'Do you know, I was thinking about Malta''What time in Malta?'Nicky only glanced at him.'Oh, that time in Malta'~~~or my own interpretation of what happened
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 16
Kudos: 224





	Oh, that time in Malta...

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everyone, so this is my first fic starring Nicky and Joe. I'm obsessed with the movie and looking forward to read the comics someday. For now, I'll leave you this tiny thing and I hope you'll enjoy it♥

_ Summer, 1925 _

_ Valleta, Malta _

Their breaths were still rushed and their skin glistening in sweat. The men sprawled on the hostel bed were side by side, legs tangled with the white cheap sheets. Joe's right arm was behind Nicky's head and Nicky's left arm rested over his lover's chest. The warm summer night did nothing to chill their overheated skin. The light green curtains of the open windows danced lazily over the suddenly quiet atmosphere of the room.

This was obviously not their first time in the Mediterranean island but it was in fact the first time they gave themselves the pleasure to rent a room in an exposed place such as Valleta. Nicky wanted it with a view to St. Elmo's Bay -  _ with a balcony, Joe, what's the point of having a perfect view if we don't have a balcony! _ \- except that as soon as they set foot into the room, the man just grabbed Joe and slammed him against the nearest wall.

Now, there they were, a couple hours later, and still trying to catch their breaths.

'I'll never understand this need you have of never letting me unpack our things before we…' expressed Joe along with you know sign from his free hand. 

Nicky grinned at him dirtily and a shot of electricity spiked from his chest to the pit of his stomach, lingering there. Waiting.

'I can't help it' sighed Nicky scratching his drained body although noticing the way Joe's breath hitched from the act 'I just try to keep the fire alive'.

'Oh, amore mio,' Joe murmured in a low voice, shifting so he could grab Nicky's jaw 'you give me the wold and I'll fall to your feet'.

'Agh, shut up' and moved forward to kiss Joe softly. 

It didn't take long for the kiss to turn desperate and hungrier. Joe's electricity simmering low on his stomach and beginning to expand to every part of his body once again. Then, Joe settled his body fully on top of Nicky's and pinned him hard against the bedsheets. Reluctantly they broke down the kiss when Nicky let a half gasp half moan escape from his lips.

'Wait' Joe heard him whisper 'wait, Joe-'

'What?' mumbled Joe against Nicky's neck, licking it, kissing it, nuzzling.

'Stop distracting me' tried to demand the other man though the stutter of his voice gave him away. 

Joe smiled, lifted his head a bit, and raised his eyebrows in question.

'I kinda need you to move so I can reach my bag' pointed Nicky. Joe groaned mockingly and shifted to his previous position next to him. 

He watched him move around, not really leaving the bed, and reach his bad to dig inside of it, looking for something. When Nicky turned to face Joe he cleared his throat to call his attention back to Nicky's face. Joe bit his lip and chuckle as Nicky shook his head fondly at him. And that's also when he perceived the tiny bag resting on the other man's lap. It was marine blue and the material seemed velvety. He mirrored Nicky's sitting position and waited for him to work out what he wanted to express.

'Fuck, I'm not good at this' started after a few seconds, his attention focused on the bag in his hands 'I planned  _ what _ to say,  _ where _ to say it but-' he simply smiled at Joe and threw the bag to his chest. 

The man frowned and opened it upside down so the object inside of it could fall on his palm.

It was a ring.

A sterling silver ring. Not too big nor too small, just subtly elegant and discreet. To the regular eye, it probably looked like a quite simple ring but up close it was… beautifully detailed. It was engraved with peaks and mountains and... men fighting. As if they were in a war or-

'The crusades' he thought aloud, hearing a soft hum as a response.

Joe kept checking the ring's design until he spotted two soldiers kissing, understanding they were  _ them _ . However, what really left him speechless was the internal engraving. He couldn't help but beamed at Nicky in awe.

**_All and more._ **

'I've wanted to give you something for a long time' began Nicky biting his lip nervously 'I didn't plan the design but I think it just- it just fits, you know'

Joe nodded though Nicky wasn't looking at him. He knew Nicky's mind was somewhere far from their shared bed, probably in another time even. 

It wasn't hard to picture where. Most likely he was thinking about that first time, centuries ago, when they shared a campfire as a truce. They had been fighting to death for days, maybe weeks and at some point the exhaustion won them over. At the time it was a wild thought to imagine a Muslim and a Christian willingly sharing the same space. Enemies by principles. And yet, for one night they decided to put the fight aside so they could process why they just couldn't kill each other. Was it a  _ curse _ ? Where their respective Gods mad and were punishing them? Why of all people it had to be the enemy? That moment was etched into their memory as the beginning of everything. The beginning of  _ them _ .

Joe understands Nicky as if they were one by now and even at the beginning of their "relationship", Nicky wasn't a man of big words like him. He preferred actions and straightforwardness. Joe was the one who uses words the most and that's when it clicked.

'Habibi' managed to articulate Joe, shifting closer over the other man's space, feeling his fervent skin under his fingertips as well as the weight of Nicky's stare over him. 

'Nicolo di Genova,' started Joe, his voice with nothing but utter conviction in it 'my love, my heart. You're the air that I breath and the warmth in my veins. You're my first thought when i open my eyes and the last one once I close them at night. You're the light that I follow every time I die.' he smiled tenderly 'Before you, my life was empty and full of sorrow, and then you showed up and buried your knife in my heart' 

'And yours into my stomach' replied Nicky with a smirk.

They both chuckled at the memory

'True' affirmed Joe 'but also that was the moment I realized. We were  _ meant _ for each other, right after my first resurrection and I saw you face coming back to life as the same time as mine. I knew it. I knew that whether was your God or mine that brought us together on that battlefield, they knew that we  _ belonged _ to each other because I was made for you' he held Nicky's face more pointedly and stared into those green-ish, blue eyes 'and I, Yusuf Al-Kaysani, was made for y-'

His words died when Nicky surged forward and crushed his lips against Joe. They smiled against each other as Nicky rested Joe against the bed, settling on top of him.

'Why you always have to say the perfect words and I can't think about them even after all this time?' chuckle Nicky, resting his forehead against Joe's.

'I have enough words for both of us, Nicolo' 

Joe caressed Nicky's thigh with both hands, tracing the curves of his hip to then rest them at the small of his back. 

'Besides, there's a reason I had William drooling all over me' added Joe.

The man on top of him groaned and rolled his eyes irritated.

'God, Joe. I'm trying to point something out here and you bring  _ him _ up?'

The laugh that bursted from Joe only got Nicky to look more -fake- indignant. The tiny grin forming in the corner of his mouth, however…

'Nothing ever happened' the reaffirmation wasn't necessary, it wasn't even back then 'I also think he was a bit pushy and annoying'

Nicky huffed but settled a bit better above his lap, the movement sending shots to his spine.

'I know' he said, his eyes sparkling with want and affection 'I know that I'm yours and that you're mine' Nicky's palms spread over his chest, pressing them on top of his heart 'I thought that ring could demonstrate without fancy words how much you mean to me' he started moving his hips in slow motions, Joe's hands gripping harder now 'how crazy I am for you, how lucky I was to find you' he lowered himself, lips barely brushing 'Wearing that ring would be like a promise. A promise to each other. That I would never leave this earth without you'

'Amore della mia vita' sighed Joe, letting himself fall onto Nicky's body and soul.

***

Joe woke up hours later, his body curled against Nicky. The room was chillier which meant it would sunup soon. He carefully sit to grab a blanket from the floor to cover them both when he spotted the ring. At some point in their previous activities, it must have fell to the floor. 

He stretched his arm to grab it and put it on his left hand's ring finger. Next to him, Nicky stirred slightly, looking far too innocent and... in peace.

That was Joe's favorite thing. Small, significant moments like these. Just them, on randoms hotel rooms, far from Andy and Booker. Making love, breathing within each other's personal heaven. Savoring every kiss, every touch, every stare. Simply them being happy and in love as if every time was their first time.

Joe covered them with the blanket and repositioned himself behind Nicky. His left hand, the hand wearing the silver ring, sneaked over his lover's chest and rested there. He felt Nicky melt in between his arms and yes, maybe that was a good moment to carved into their memories. Into their upcoming  _ forever _ .

**Author's Note:**

> In case you want to know, I inspired in [this](https://ar.pinterest.com/pin/576249714826199094/) to write about the ring. I noticed Joe actually wears one in the movie and I wanted to give it a little background. Oh and probably you already guessed it but _that_ William guy is in fact Shakespeare and had a huge crush on Joe to Nicky's dismay. 
> 
> I really want to write more about them so we'll see what happen next lol
> 
> You can find me on [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thewilddreamerrr) too, completely losing it over THG
> 
> -Juls


End file.
